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Latvian Food Tasting Tour

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Would you like to learn and taste a wide variety of typical Latvian food eaten in Latvian families… and visit the largest Central market in Europe together with LOCAL EXPERT in food?  Then RigaTrips Latvian Food Tasting Tour is the best choice for you!

WHEN AND WHERE?

WHAT WILL WE TASTE?

This Food Tour will take you through Riga Central Markets’ (UNESCO heritage) 5 Zeppelin hangars into an enjoyable local food journey. A knowledgeable local tour guide will lead you into the experience with Latvian food and share the origins of local food traditions.  During this tour, you will also receive a wide range of local specialties with more than 20 different samples that will include the following below:

• Local bread
• Several kinds of cheeses
• Freshly smoked meat
• Different fish samples
• Non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks
• Delicious local sweets

The tasting amount will be sufficient for you to feel as if you have had a light lunch. We believe that it can also help you to get through till dinner, so it is better if you come to the tour on an empty stomach. 

Our Latvian Food Tour is a safe option for you to try local food delicacies along with interesting and entertaining stories about the Riga Central market’s history, shopping traditions, and Latvian food origins. 

SHOULD I GO ON THE TOUR, IF I DO NOT EAT MEAT or FISH…? 

Latvian cuisine is based on meat and fish, but this food tour includes more than 20 food samples, so if you do not eat both types of food, you can still enjoy about 60% of the samples. If you just do not eat either fish or meat – you will not miss most of the tour, as 80% of the samples will be available for you. It is more restricting if you are a vegan, then we suggest you let us know that at the beginning of the tour and we can offer you a discounted price for the tour. 

HOW TO BOOK THE TOUR?

IMPORTANT – PLEASE BOOK this TOUR IN ADVANCE – till 18.00 on the prior day to your tour day (only then we can make sure, that you will have all tasting products available for you). 

WHERE DOES THE TOUR START?

When you have booked the Latvian Food Tasting Tour, come to RigaTrips meeting point on Grecinieku street 18 with the booking confirmation and we will wait for you with RigaTrips sign in our hands and an official Riga guide sign around the neck. 

HOW TO PAY?

Payment for the tour is done on the meeting spot in cash for an exchange of RigaTrips Tour Ticket ! Lately unfortunately many customers book the tour and do not show up, but we have tasting pre-reserved and thus run into costs and wasted food. Therefore we have started to ask for a pre-payment for the tour with a bank transfer. Please book the tour, then you will receive an invoice for the tour. Once you pre-pay it, your places have been reserved. 

• Destination Riga Central market
• Departure Riga Trips Meeting Point | Entrance to Museum - Mencendorfa nams | Grecinieku street 18
• Departure Time Fri-Sun 12:30
• Return Time After 2 hours
• Dress Code Casual and vacational | Warm and comfortable clothing | Umbrella will be useful on a rainy day
• Included Food samples of traditional Latvian food – cheese, meat, bread, fish, meat and more. Knowledgable and passionate local tour guide
• Not Included Best photo spots advice Entrance to hallway where other groups cannot access FREE tasting of Latvian traditional dark chocolate LAIMA FREE tasting of Riga Black Balsam

From our gallery

Join our Latvian Food Tasting Tour at Riga central market and indulge in the local Latvian taste – it will be interesting and delicious! Pictures have been taken by excellent Latvian photography lovers - Maris Karklins, Ildze Magazeina and ourselves.

The meeting point is Mentzendorff House, Grecinieku street 18.

RigaTrips MEETING POINTS

Latvian Food Tasting tour Friday - Sunday at 12:30

Free Tour Old Town Riga Thursday - Sunday at 10.30 AM

meeting point is Museum of Mencendorfa nams , Grecinieku street 18

ART NOUVEAU TOUR at 15.30 meeting point is Laima clock . 

We will wait you in our meeting points dressed in RigaTrips green T-shirt or jacket.

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Tour will be led by true locals living in the country and growing up with local food traditions. They will share stories on how they were raised about food culture and what are Latvian traditions with food during local celebrations and everyday meals in families.

Where else could you find out about local Latvian family experience with food, get inspired, and take home ideas on what to put on your family's table to refresh the food offer and provide joy to your closest people while sharing memories from your trip to Riga?

Come to the Latvian Food Tasting Tour organized by Rigatrips and get greeted with Latvian hospitality, immerse in the tastes and smells of Riga Central Market and enjoy new food tastes, that will help you to choose what food samples to bring home at the end of the tour we will also suggest what and where to buy.

Riga Central market

Riga Central Market was opened in 1930 and was recognized not only as the largest but also the best and most modern market in Europe at that time. Since then, Riga Central Market has consistently been in the heart of Riga, providing diverse shopping, personal attitudes, lively conversations, gorgeous stories, and fun bargains for market visitors.

You will not experience such a walk anywhere else in Europe!

Riga Central Market is located in the very heart of Riga, a few meters from the Old Town on the banks of the Daugava River, next to Riga International Bus Station and Central Railway Station. Not only is it one of the largest in terms of area in Eastern Europe, but also one of the most visited markets - it is visited by 80,000 to 100,000 people every day.

A striking symbol of the Central Market is the architecturally expressive pavilions built in the 1920s. It turns out that they were originally built as airship hangars for military purposes and later decided to use them as market pavilions. Thanks to the pavilions and their size, in 1998, the Riga Central Market was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Every day, Riga Central Market offers both Latvian-grown and own-farmed products and exotic fruits, spices, and industrial goods. There are five pavilions on the market - vegetables, dairy, meat, fish, and gastronomy, as well as an open market with industrial goods and crafts, Night Market and a Farmers' Day Market.

However, the bustle of the market also attracts fraudsters and pickpockets. So be careful!

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1. Pub Crawl in Riga

2. Private One Hour Riga Beer Bike Tour

3. Riga Medieval Dinner

4. Riga Pub Crawl Nightlife Experience

5. Riga Central Market

6. Delicious Food Tasting Adventure in Riga Central Market

7. Shared Activity Riga Black Balsam 18th Century Degustation

8. Taste Riga - Private Tour of Latvian Flavour

9. Latvian Wine Adventure: Discovering the Best of Baltic Wines

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11. Riga Black Balsam XO Tasting Exclusive Flavor in Limited Edition

12. Riga Party Bus Night Tour

13. Latvian Beer Tour & Tasting

14. Riga Medieval Dinner

15. Mysterious Elixir Meeting in the Kingdom of 12th century

16. Riga Wine Tasting Session

17. Private Cooking Master Class In The Latvian Family

18. Private Chocolate Masterclass in Old Town of Riga

19. Riga Beer Bike

20. Riga Brewery Tour

21. Riga Beer Killer Bar Crawl

22. Latvian Beer Tasting

23. Create your own Gin at Riga Gin Laboratory

24. Riga Tea and Shisha (Hookah)

25. Riga Brewery Tour

26. Exclusive Latvian Wine Tasting In Riga

27. Riga Cocktail Master Class

28. Riga Happy Hour Pub Crawl

29. Riga Central Market and Science Academy Observation Deck Tasting Tour

30. 2 Day Kurzeme Winery Tour

What travellers are saying.

Central Market Latvian 2 Hour Food Tour in Riga (www.getyourguide.com)

Learn about latvian gastronomy in the largest open-air market in europe. sample a selection of more than 15 traditional local food samples as you learn about the history of these massive markets..

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• Indulge in tastings of 15 different local Latvian foods and drink samples
• Be amazed by the unbelievable market traditions
• Admire the size of the market hangars as you learn their history

Tour through the UNESCO-listed Riga Central Markets, 5 zeppelin hangars which provide guests with an enjoyable local food journey. A knowledgeable local tour guide will lead you through your introduction into Latvian food, sharing origins of local food traditions as you travel.

Throughout your tour, receive a wide range of local specialties which include local bread, several cheeses, freshly smoked meat, several types of fish, non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks, and delicious local sweets. These tastings will be sufficient enough to make you feel as if you have had a light lunch, and should be enough to get you through to dinner.

This is a unique option for guests wishing to try local food delicacies whilst hearing interesting and entertaining stories about the Riga Central Market itself.

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Richo’s Food Tours helps you to discover and book the best food and culinary tours around the world. We compare a wide collection of food tours for the best tour companies. Same money on the Best Food Tours.

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Riga Food Tour - Secret Food Tours

Riga is a popular stop on Baltic cruises. It's also a great option for those who want to fly in. The Latvian capital has a great array of local cuisine for visitors and locals to try. If you're looking to have a real taste of Riga, don't just focus on art and architecture. Be sure to book one of the secret food tours that visits some of the less familiar spots for delicious Latvian food.

Among the available local food tours Riga is likely to provide a wonderful sampling of popular Baltic dishes. By focusing on secret food tours, you can also watch the preparation of great dishes that will really hit your palate and satisfy your hunger.

If you're ready to check out the local food scene, be sure to sign up for one of our food tours in Riga today.

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OLD RIGA & FOOD TASTING TOUR

• Book the tour
• Family friendly
• One Day Tour
• Tours from Riga

Old Riga walking excursion with Latvian food tasting in Riga Central Market.

During the walking tour through Old Riga , which duration is approximately 2 hours, you will find out what houses and streets of the Old Riga are confabulating, you will get acquainted with various architectural monuments of medieval (Three Brother’s House, St. Peter’s church, Opera, Dome cathedral and other interesting monuments). Tour ends in Riga Central Market where we have Latvian traditional food tasting .

10:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Old Riga Excursion

12:00 pm – 12:30 pm: latvian food tasting, 12:30 pm – 12:40 pm: end.

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Home » Travel Guides » Latvia » 15 Best Riga Tours

15 Best Riga Tours

With a population of nearly 650,000 residents, Riga is not only Latvia’s capital and most populous city, but it’s home to almost a third of the country’s population as well.

The city was founded around 800 years ago and features an alluring mix of the old-world history and contemporary attractions that most guests find fascinating.

A variety of tours are available for those who’d like to explore the city and surrounding areas with a guide. They run the gamut from stunning natural attractions and historical sites to modern museums and trendy restaurants featuring vibrant fusion cuisine.

Below are 15 of the best tours of Riga.

1. Food Tasting Tour of Central Market

Riga’s Central Market is usually abuzz with browsing tourists, with shoppers and vendors haggling over the things they use in their everyday lives.

It’s also one of the city’s architectural wonders and was built in the 1920s and ‘30s in the neoclassical and art deco styles.

Along with their guide, tour guests will explore the market’s narrow paths, learn about Latvian history, culture, and cuisine, and sample a variety of traditional fresh and prepared food items like cured meats, fruit, and cheese.

Tours last about two hours and are available at multiple times to accommodate those with different schedules.

2. Old Town Private Walking Tour

Walking tours may be the best way to experience a new area for the first time because they allow guests to get up close and personal with local residents and attractions.

Riga’s Old Town area is the city’s historic centerpiece. It’s full of impressive architecture, distinct neighborhoods, and a variety of monuments that have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Tours meet in a central location, are available in English, Russian, and German, and include stops at iconic attractions like St. Peter’s Cathedral and Town Hall Square, to name just a few.

Don’t forget to ask your guide for tips on additional things to see and do when the tour is over.

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3. Jewish Heritage Private Guided Tour

Though it’s not so well known as other European cities like Krakow, Poland, Riga lost more than 60,000 Jews during World War II.

This history and culture tour focuses on the plight of the Jews in Riga and Latvia during the Holocaust. The highlights include the Museum of Jews in Latvia, the Zanis Lipke Memorial, and the Great Choral Synagogue Memorial.

Guests will benefit from their guide’s insight and historical perspective as they take in the museum’s poignant exhibits, including photographs, first-hand accounts, and other paraphernalia discovered after the Nazi occupation came to an end.

Transportation and entrance fees are included.

4. Half-Day Natural Ecosystems Hike from Riga

In addition to being a hotspot for history, architecture, culture, and food, Riga and the surrounding areas are home to a variety of ecosystems and large tracts of relatively undisturbed natural areas.

After pick-up from their accommodations in Riga, guests and their guide will make their way to Piejūra Nature Park, where they’ll spend the day hiking amongst lakes, forests, river deltas, and some amazingly beautiful and pristine stretches of Baltic coastline.

It’s common to see a variety of wildlife along the way. Though the tour covers nearly ten miles, it proceeds at a relatively slow pace, making it appropriate for families.

5. 3-Hour Soviet Walking Tour

First off, you don’t need to be a closet commie sympathizer or wear a hammer and sickle pin on your lapel during this tour.

But for those who prefer to see and experience attractions that are slightly off the beaten path while learning about a particularly interesting segment of local history, this three-hour Soviet walking tour would probably be a great fit.

Tours begin mid-afternoon, include the services of a knowledgeable local guide, and visit a number of premier attractions left over from the Soviet era.

Guests will learn about the grassroots movements that eventually led to Latvian independence, and enjoy a traditional Soviet buffet lunch as well.

6. Beer or Cider Bike Tour

Imbibing beer and hard cider before a long bike ride isn’t usually a good idea, but when the bike has 15 seats and is piloted by a sober professional, it’s perfectly safe.

On this unique and spirited tour, guests will explore the Old Town area while drinking beer, wine, and Prosecco, and seeing many of the city’s most significant sites from a truly unique perspective.

Depending on the ages and interests of guests, tours can range from a music-filled party on wheels, to a relatively relaxed sightseeing tour.

Each trip lasts about two hours and includes a meal at the end.

7. Latvian Palaces and Medieval Castles Private Tour

Just a short drive from Riga’s city center, the country opens up, and the rural landscape becomes dotted with numerous castles and palaces from eras long past.

This eight-hour tour includes round-trip transportation to and from your hotel in Riga. It focuses on several palaces and castles known for their impressive architecture and historical significance.

Rundāle Palace and Jelgava Castle were built in the 1700s. As the home of royalty, they were among the most opulent royal residences in the country.

Guests will have ample time to explore on foot, ask questions, and take photographs during the tour, but entrance fees and meals aren’t included.

8. Ghost Walking Tour and Balsam Tasting

For those who get a kick out of the eerie, macabre, and ghoulish, after-dark tours are great ways to get a good scare at the end of a long day.

On this two-hour ghost walk and balsam tasting combo tour, guests will follow their guide to parts of the city where most sane travelers prefer not to tread.

Tour highlights include a centuries-old prison, narrow streets in dark neighborhoods, and various sites along the city’s imposing wall that are purportedly home to ghosts of lost souls killed in ages past.

Oh, and every tour ends with a lovely balsam tasting.

9. Art Nouveau Architecture Walking Tour

In the latter years of the 1800s and the beginning of the 1900s, the art nouveau movement swept across the continent.

Now, more than a century later, many of the city’s most prominent attractions are prime examples of art nouveau architecture that are convenient to view together on this relatively short tour.

From their guide, guests will learn about the history of the movement, why it took such hold in Riga, and see some of the city’s most impressive buildings.

Tours last two hours, are available in both English and German and include pick-up from your hotel if you’re staying in Old Town.

10. Turaida Reserve and Deer Safari Winter Tour

Departing from Riga’s city center, guests and their guide will travel to the Turaida Reserve in Vidzeme.

Located in one of the country’s most beautiful and historic regions, during the winter, the landscape is characterized by snow-laden pine trees, crisp winds, and an abundance of stately reindeer.

Tour participants will be able to touch and feed the deer, learn about their lives in the wild, and experience Latvia’s great outdoors like never before.

The weather can be downright frigid on winter Safaris, so it’s important to wear warm shoes and dress in layers.

Everything is included except lunch.

11. 3-Hour Old town and Farmers Market Detective Tour

For those who fancy themselves amateur sleuths like Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot, there’s one clear standout among Riga’s tours.

Starting at Liberty Monument, participants and their guild will set out on a fascinating exploration of the city’s most notable attractions, like Fat Powder Tower, Riga Castle, and the Palace of Peter the Great.

Along the way, they’ll use their grey matter to answer riddles and decipher clues, each of which will lead them to the next site and give unique insights in the city’s history, legends, and culture.

Tours of this nature are a great fit for activity minded visitors traveling with inquisitive kids.

12. Sigulda Hiking Tour in the Switzerland of Latvia

The area around Sigulda is often referred to as the Switzerland of Latvia because it’s full of valleys, cliffs, forests, and mountains – like the country after which it’s named.

On this full-day hiking tour, fit guests will delve into the amazingly picturesque region on a nine-mile hike and explore a variety of impressive natural landscapes and features.

The tour’s pace can be adjusted to fit the abilities and interests of the guests. Since there’s more than enough time to cover the route, there will be plenty of time for breaks and sightseeing along the way.

Everything is included except tips, food, and drinks.

13. Self-Guided Old Town Tour

Professional tour guides can add gobs of extra value for travelers looking to make the most of their limited vacation resources, but self-guided tours are popular options for those who prefer to see things on their own terms.

Using a smartphone as a guide, guests will be able to begin their tour whenever they’d like and spend time seeing things that interest them while ignoring those that don’t.

The app provides a list of possible attractions, brief descriptions of each, and directions on how to get to them.

Self-guided tours are also much less expensive than traditional tours and are big hits with families.

14. Latvian Genealogical Ancestry Tour

Have 12 hours to spare? Want to research the genealogy of your Latvian ancestors?

If so, then this guided ancestry tour would be a fun and educational way to learn about the country and its culture with the help of an experienced local guide and genealogist.

Tours may include visits to a number of towns depending on guests’ knowledge of their family lineage. They also include stops at museums, cemeteries, and the opportunity to interview locals and check various directories and official historical records.

Fear not if research of this kind isn’t your forte; your guide is trained in research and can speak and read multiple languages.

15. Kemeri National Park Nature Trail from Riga

Kemeri National Park is Latvia’s 3rd largest park. For those who’ve tired of Riga’s historic attractions and urban hustle and bustle, it’s a great place to spend a day in nature away from the crowds.

Though it’s full of rugged natural areas, much of the park is easy to explore by the elevated boardwalk that winds its way for a few miles through a variety of idyllic environments.

Along the way, guests will benefit from their guide’s insights and take in ponds, streams, bogs, and forests that are home to a variety of commonly seen animals.

Tours require moderate amounts of exertion but are appropriate for those of most ages.

15 Best Riga Tours:

• Food Tasting Tour of Central Market
• Old Town Private Walking Tour
• Jewish Heritage Private Guided Tour
• Half-Day Natural Ecosystems Hike from Riga
• 3-Hour Soviet Walking Tour
• Beer or Cider Bike Tour
• Latvian Palaces and Medieval Castles Private Tour
• Ghost Walking Tour and Balsam Tasting
• Art Nouveau Architecture Walking Tour
• Turaida Reserve and Deer Safari Winter Tour
• 3-Hour Old town and Farmers Market Detective Tour
• Sigulda Hiking Tour in the Switzerland of Latvia
• Self-Guided Old Town Tour
• Latvian Genealogical Ancestry Tour
• Kemeri National Park Nature Trail from Riga

THE BEST Riga Food Tours

Riga food tours.

• Historical & Heritage Tours
• Cultural Tours
• Ports of Call Tours
• Up to 1 hour
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• 4 hours to 1 day
• The ranking of tours, activities, and experiences available on Tripadvisor is determined by several factors including the revenue generated by Tripadvisor from these bookings, the frequency of user clicks, and the volume and quality of customer reviews. Occasionally, newly listed offerings may be prioritized and appear higher in the list. The specific placement of these new listings may vary.

1. Riga Central Market and Science Academy Observation Deck Tasting Tour

Keep the fun going with other experiences in the area.

Private Cooking Class and Dine with the Latvian Family

Private Bicycle Tour with picnic meal in Sigulda

Discover the real Riga  with Eat Riga Tours

 Small group tours from 120 euro per group 

Book your walking tour of Riga with us today!

Discover the beautiful city of Riga. Follow one of our light hearted and honest guides to enjoy a fresh approach to an Old city.

About Eat Riga Tours

Eat Riga stands for Experience Alternative Tours in Riga. We offer personalised Riga tours and events that will give you and your group a true impression of the city.

Who are we? Our small team is made up of professional licensed guides in Riga, all of whom are experts in their field 

Our aim is to create interesting and fun tours / activities for people who wish to see more than just the most famous sights. Above all, our enthusiastic and friendly team looks forward to helping you to discover Riga and turn your stay into a memorable experience. We certainly love our city, and wish to share this passion with you.

- Making Your stay in Riga awesome since 2006 -

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Join the very best laid back tours of Riga. Walking Tours, Bike Tours, Food & Drink Degustations, Team building ideas, Group Activities, Events, Sightseeing Excursions, Boat Tours and much more. If you want down to Earth fluent English speaking guides with an open heart, who are not afraid to speak their minds, then choose us and make sure to have a memorable stay in Riga, Latvia.

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‘Flavours as vivid as the scent of pine forests’: why I love Baltic cuisine

Food writer Caroline Eden celebrates the region’s distinct - and underrated - flavours, from quince lemonade and cloudberry jam to birch syrup and blueberry soup

W hen I was planning a recent journey back to Riga , its food filled my thoughts more than anything else. I kept picturing the Latvian capital’s cafes, bistros and moody beer bars. Such longing was evidence, to me at least, that I was coming back to a city that knows how to feed people and with memorable flavours: smoked sprats, black pudding sausages, quince lemonade, cloudberry jam, pickled garlic, herby butters and bitter balsams tasting of liquorice.

As anticipation began to build, a question crossed my mind: why are some countries revered for their food while others are not? The cuisine of the Baltics, rich with variety and imagination, can often rival that of the nearby Nordic countries yet it is rarely held in the same esteem.

I first visited the Baltic trio of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, in early 2020, just before the world shut down with the pandemic. Though some of the restaurants I discovered then haven’t survived, I remember the dishes and flavours as vividly as the smell of pine forests and the sight of the last of the winter’s snow glittering on sand and driftwood.

In Pärnu, Estonia, I ate snow-white fillets of pikeperch caught in Pärnu Bay, baked with butter and capers in the city’s restaurants (my favourite spot, Mahedik, has closed but I hear good things about Hea Maa ). In Palanga, Lithuania, I ate halibut with sunflower seeds and fennel, and steak with cedar nuts and honey at the great Restoranas 4 (also sadly closed) where chefs showcased what local people have been good at for centuries – pickling, fishing, fermenting, foraging and berry collecting.

The sea buckthorn cheesecake I ate in the Latvian port city of Liepāja at Boulangerie Liepāja (still open!) was a revelation: whole berries set in jelly on top, their sharpness slicing through the full-fat cream cheese.

But it is at the markets that you best get a sense of Baltic flavours and traditions, and one of the best is Riga Central Market, which showcases the Baltic’s natural larder.

Inside one of the markets’ five giant hangars, built during the first world war, I passed richly stocked lanes of gilded-looking fish: Riga’s famous sprats in tins and jars. There were other fish with fantastic names that I knew little about: bitterling, tench, butterfish, garfish, pipefish, lumpfish. In repurposed tubs, scaly and strong-smelling dried fish sat upright and rigid, their silvery-brown heads poking above the plastic. Another stall showcased white honey brandy that had been fermented in copper pots and “filtered through forest moss”.

The pages of my notebook began to fill up with words that reflected the landscape: Baltic shrimp, lingonberry jam, Baltic herring, birch syrup, fermented kvass, wild cherry leaves, crayfish, fruit wines, hemp butter, blueberry soup.

And I spotted something I had not noticed at such monster-sized markets elsewhere: handwritten name placards for the pickle vendors – proof of the deeply personal within a huge collective and public space. This made it easier to start up a conversation with Mariya Karavacka, who plunged happily into her subject. Born in Yekaterinburg, Russia, and married to a Latvian, she said her son helps her to grow and pickle cucumbers, tomatoes and carrots, and they work together as hunter-gatherers of their garden just outside the city and the dark forests beyond – where nature changes constantly through the clearly defined seasons of the Baltics.

“Here, try this,” Mariya said, handing me a midget bullet-shaped carrot.

Biting into it, the carrot was crunchy and sweet but soon after came a hot-sour wham at the back of the throat. Looking down into the tub from where this fiery slug had come, I saw dozens of tiny red chillies and black peppercorns bobbing in the brine. Each of Mariya’s pickle jars had a handwritten label showing the date it was sealed and advising the temperature it should be stored at.

What these pickle vendors are offering for little more than a few coins is a piece of their world, their spirit of place, their history. What could be finer than that?

At home, I sometimes try to recreate a pudding that I ate and then thought about for days afterwards. I had eaten it at a restaurant in Rīga’s Old Town called Milda , a rare place that manages to be both very good and unashamedly touristy.

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Milda’s Baltic menu includes many interesting dishes. A classic starter is called grey peas. The colour of marbled slate, combined with punchy things to ginger them up – that is, onion, salt and tiny cubes of heavily smoked bacon. A mackerel tartare with blueberries and beetroot might be next, followed by a version of sausage and mash – Latvian black pudding with sauerkraut, fried potatoes and sour cream. But the best thing arrives last: bread soaked in dark beer with dried fruit, spices (cinnamon heady and dominant) and honey, topped with a cloud of cream and a scattering of berries. In Latvia it is called rupjmaizes kārtojums . Served in a glass ramekin, it was like trifle crossed with a Christmas pudding and once I had tasted it I could not shake its rich fruity flavour from my mind.

Nowadays in Baltic cities, chefs are only slightly swayed by global fads and are busy celebrating their own cuisines while overturning lingering outdated ideas about what their regional food is (any Soviet greyness has long been thrown off). And while dining out is not an obsession, there are plenty of excellent places to eat just like Milda, where the menu authoritatively speaks of the local land and the sea.

Spring is an especially good time to be in the Baltics. So easy is it to swap the cobbles of Riga for the beach , to rent a bicycle and to go cycling along railway tracks, past apple trees and oaks, and onwards to the spa resort town of Jūrmala, with its wooden mansions – all towers, coloured-glass verandas and decorative trusses. I remember pedalling over wet glittery-grey sand, right up to the waves while imagining how in birch forests in early spring Latvians would be out tapping the thin white trees. Their aim is to bottle the nutrients stored in their roots that each spring filter up through their trunks, carried by the rising sap, like magic.

Adapted from Cold Kitchen (Bloomsbury, £18.99 ) by Caroline Eden. To support the Guardian and the Observer, order a copy from guardianbookshop.com . Delivery charges may apply

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